More slapstick insanity ensues in the Taiwanese teaser for Stephen Chow's fantasy comedy Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons. It features new footage of an incompetent demon hunter getting into all kinds of silly situations. This marks the first Stephen Chow-directed film without Chow himself carrying the onscreen comedy, leaving Shu Qi and Bo Wong to fill the spotlight.

Re: Schoolio's Movie Corner

I love that they didn't let us hear the music from the lead character in the preview. It ups the interest factor.

I wouldn't be surprised if that continues through the majority of the film.

People of Los Angeles* - if you didn't see Miguel Gomes' Tabu at AFI Fest or at one of the Laemmles in the past week, get down to the Royal tonight and catch it before it leaves town. It's a masterfully structured, joyously shape-shifting (though neither of those terms may seem immediately appropriate) little film from Portugal that begins with a woman settling into the dull repetition of retirement, and then explodes into a thrillingly sensuous journey through the early years of a friend's life that seemed nowhere near this remarkable to begin with. This one goes right into the top five of my 2012 films.

On that note - there are a lot more films left on my need-to-see list for 2012. But given that it's the end of January, here's the best list I can come up with:

Top 10 of 2012

Post Tenebras Lux (Carlos Reygadas)

Playing theatrically in May 2013 - YOU ARE NOT ALLOWED TO SKIP IT ON A BIG SCREEN IF YOU HAVE THE OPTION.

The Master (Paul Thomas Anderson)

I could have just used a comma instead of a parentheses.

Moonrise Kingdom (Wes Anderson)

He never really fell off, for me, but he hasn't been this good since Rushmore.

The Color Wheel (Alex Ross Perry)

This would easily be the most polarizing film of the year if enough people had seen it - like a weird stew of Vincent Gallo, Lena Dunham and Todd Solondz.

Tabu (Miguel Gomes)

The second 4:3 film and third 16mm film on this list...what year is this, again?

Killing Them Softly (Andrew Dominik)

Amazing how successful Dominik is onscreen here, working close to 180 degrees away from his masterpiece. Even more amazing how unsuccessful this was financially.

The Loneliest Planet (Julia Loktev)

One of the most subtle, spellbinding films I've ever seen. Literally, if you sneeze at one inopportune moment midway through, you could walk away with absolutely no idea what this film is about.

Django Unchained (Quentin Tarantino)

Tarantino may be one of the filmmakers I most underrate. Even his "minor" works (I'd rate this one fifth among his seven features) are glorious.

Anna Karenina (Joe Wright)

In a movie year brimming with audacity, Joe Wright's don't-call-it-a-stylistic-conceit choice to stage this tale of public scandal inside a theater rates as one of the boldest and most successful gambles.

Dark Horse (Todd Solondz)

His first great film that doesn't involve the Jordan sisters is also his best.

Honorable Mention

Rust and Bone

Zero Dark Thirty

Argo

Sleepwalk With Me

Leviathan Category For Excellence In Image Capturing

Leviathan

Film I Admire But Reeeeally Don't Get In Any Way - Intellectually, Emotionally, Viscerally, Or For That Matter, Understanding Why It Appeals To Virtually Everyone

Holy Motors

Movies I Wanted To See Before Making This List

Alps

Magic Mike

The Deep Blue Sea

For Ellen

Goodbye First Love

Killer Joe

Red Hook Summer

Wuthering Heights

Chronicle

Life Of Pi

Generation P

Starlet

In Another Country

Bonsai

Jeff, Who Lives At Home

Nobody Walks

God Bless America

Lawless

Damsels In Distress

Middle of Nowhere

Oscar-Begging Nonsense I Have No Interest In

Lincoln

Lincoln

Lincoln

Les Miserables

* - People of other places in the US - check here for Tabu listings in your city.

Originally Posted by guedita

The childless 20-something year olds on the board who find a 50 something year old man fucking teenage prostitutes distasteful will probably change the hum of their tune once they produce babies, definitely. That's the missing link.

Re: Schoolio's Movie Corner

There aren't many who love Daniel Day-Lewis more than I do. That said, it's impossible for me to believe that his interpretation of a beloved U.S. President (as thoroughly researched and skillfully inhabited as I'm sure it is) is anywhere near the achievement of the character Joaquin Phoenix created in The Master. That character was a brand new fucking mold, and while PTA obviously gets a great deal of credit for conceiving of him, Phoenix brought him to life in a way that is nothing short of extraordinary. DDL, having had the pleasure of collaborating with PTA on another unforgettably singular character, recognizes the difference as well; that's why he hasn't been bashful about saluting Phoenix throughout the current campaign.

I realize that I should probably see the film, if for no other reason than my status as a self-professed Day-Lewisphile. But I have a real problem with Serious, Solemn Steven Spielberg Films; I like portions of Schindler's List and Saving Private Ryan, but the parts that don't work are horribly egregious, and then I have to bring up Munich, which poisoned this well for all of eternity. So I know, going into Lincoln, that I would be waiting for the opportunity to carve it up. Usually when I have that instinct about a film, I need to have powerful motivation to give it a fair shot - like, remembering '94-'04 David O. Russell before checking out Silver Linings Playbook, which was nowhere near as atrocious as I expected it to be.

Originally Posted by guedita

The childless 20-something year olds on the board who find a 50 something year old man fucking teenage prostitutes distasteful will probably change the hum of their tune once they produce babies, definitely. That's the missing link.

Re: Schoolio's Movie Corner

That's staggeringly reductive. Freddie Quell's back story may have much in common with a dozen other iconic film characters, but you can't possibly say that his personality - his speech, body language, spirit, etc. - is a copy of Travis Bickle.

Originally Posted by guedita

The childless 20-something year olds on the board who find a 50 something year old man fucking teenage prostitutes distasteful will probably change the hum of their tune once they produce babies, definitely. That's the missing link.

Re: Schoolio's Movie Corner

I actually would not describe Lincoln as overly serious or solemn - though that is also what i was expecting going into it. it has a lot of energy in it, is more of an ensemble piece than one would expect, and has a surprising amount of humor. I was quite surprised by it. The entire story is quite riveting and much more than simply being a showpiece for Daniel Day Lewis' acting chops. The script is really tight and sharp.

Re: Schoolio's Movie Corner

As a counterpoint, I found it to be a well-written and well-acted piece of bombastic, overly melodramatic hooey. For every moment that's emotionally resonant, there's one that nearly made me laugh out loud at its heavy-handedness. So I guess in that sense it's not overly serious.

Re: Schoolio's Movie Corner

Goddammit. The more I hear that kind of talk, the more difficult it is to enjoy my mountaintop throne on Snark Island.

Originally Posted by guedita

The childless 20-something year olds on the board who find a 50 something year old man fucking teenage prostitutes distasteful will probably change the hum of their tune once they produce babies, definitely. That's the missing link.

Re: Schoolio's Movie Corner

Originally Posted by schoolofruckus

That's staggeringly reductive. Freddie Quell's back story may have much in common with a dozen other iconic film characters, but you can't possibly say that his personality - his speech, body language, spirit, etc. - is a copy of Travis Bickle.

No, I don't mean to say that at all. I'm simply saying that I didn't see the (excellent) performance or (merely good) film as particularly mold-breaking or revolutionary. Phoenix definitely imbued that character with unique mannerisms and tics, but I didn't see it as some watershed moment in either character development or film acting.

Re: Schoolio's Movie Corner

That's fair. My original point wasn't so much that I'm anticipating a revolution (although I think - and hope - that lovers of cinema will be studying both the film and the performance for decades); I just think that Phoenix's work is unique and fearless, bringing genuine, complex humanity to a tortured and thoroughly impenetrable character, and that it (presumably) qualifies as a more impressive accomplishment than stepping into the shoes of one of the most widely beloved figures in American history.

Originally Posted by guedita

The childless 20-something year olds on the board who find a 50 something year old man fucking teenage prostitutes distasteful will probably change the hum of their tune once they produce babies, definitely. That's the missing link.

Re: Schoolio's Movie Corner

I love Daniel Day Lewis, I usually enjoy a Spielberg flick, and history is my favorite subject. But I did not like this movie at all. I think other actors (Phoenix) for example deserve the oscar over him. It was a good interpretation of Lincoln but it wasn't anything amazing. I thought at least. And everyone else I've talked to about it has thought the same and that it was incredibly slow and boring. And I'm not the type who needs action packed movies, quite the opposite, but I just had a real hard time sitting through this.

Re: Schoolio's Movie Corner

Huh. I went in totally expecting it to be boring and thought the opposite. It could have been an hour longer and I would have been perfectly happy. I found the politics of the time to be super intriguing.

"Hey everyone, it's me, 2015. I read all of your posts about the War On Drugs topping 2014 album of the year lists, and honestly I was a little weirded out by it too. So, here's a shitload of huge albums right up front to avoid that kind of situation again. Cool? Cool."

Re: Schoolio's Movie Corner

I was going to make some comment about how I hate Spielberg films but the only recent one I've seen was Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, watched with RiffTrax.

The only films of his I love are Jaws and Raiders of the Lost Ark (though the latter is a mess as a film). There isn't a film of his I've even liked since Jurassic Park and after his work desecrating Kubrick and Dick in succession I've successfully stayed away and can't imagine myself ever going back.

Re: Schoolio's Movie Corner

I am by no means a recent Spielberg fan, and the trailer for Lincoln looked god-awful (Gabe and I laughed at it when we saw The Master,) but I really loved the movie. There were a few moments of cheese, but by and large it was very well done and captivating. Not at all what I expected either, very much a political drama.